Extracted Text

The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:

138 Southwestern Historical Quarterly Julybut his umbilical thread connecting them is a false construction. Only Dobie,Brewer, and Boatright can be considered folklorists in the remotest sense, whilethe others are simply performers and politicos with a folkish spin on their schtick.This book is certainly not a scholarly contribution to the literature nor a refer-ence work of any significance. Gramon claims a folkloric history, yet makes noreference to nor offers any proof that he has read the substantial and remark-able publications of the Texas Folklore Society. The veracity of his book hangsentirely upon Gramon's supposed boyhood memories at the storytelling feet ofJohn Henry Faulk and Ben Green. It is a warm and loving attempt by an amateurto walk amid the gods by association, but his history is suspect (supposed "recol-lections" of tales told byJ. Mason Brewer to J. Frank Dobie to John Henry Faulkto a young Jim Gramon and then remembered some forty years later in a formamazingly similar toJ. Mason Brewer's published works).Gramon's organization is at times difficult to interpret (neither logical norchronological) as he locates Liz Carpenter and Allen Damron before J. FrankDobie and J. Mason Brewer, then inserts a chapter on "Critter Tales" before achapter on Mody Boatright.In addition, Gramon has included an elemental "webliography" of Texas sto-rytelling (perhaps the first of its kind), and he strikes a wonderfully subtle blowfor the legitimacy of traditional storytelling versus the pat and patter of the cos-tumed stand-up comedians claiming to be traditional Texas storytellers.This book is obviously a labor of love and not scholarship. Though confusingfolk with folklorist, Gramon still manages to do service and homage to thoseTexans he deems great storytellers and by book's end he has given the reader awarm and fuzzy (though confused) feeling all over.Indiana University J. RHETT RUSHINGHzstorzcal Williamson County: An Illustrated History. By John J. Leffler. (SanAntonio: Historical Publishing Network, 2oo0. Pp. 126. Preface, acknowl-edgments, sources, sharing the heritage, index, sponsors. ISBN 1-893619-09-5. $34.95, cloth.)Historical Williamson County is a short but well-illustrated historical sketch of theTexas county that borders Travis County (Austin) to the north. The written nar-rative lacks historical detail, but benefits from a wealth of original photographs.The focus of the book is Williamson County's people and economy between itsfrontier days and the start of its extraordinary late-twentieth-century boom.The book's substantive historical context is limited to the first seventy pages oftext and photographs. The rest of the book recognizes businesses and institu-tions that supported the publishing efforts of the Williamson County HistoricalCommission. Since only part of the book will interest most readers, $34.95 is asteep price for a modest dose of history.The author acknowledges that his work does not displace Clara Scarborough'scomprehensive Land of Good Water: A Williamson County History (1973), which washeavy on text and light on illustration. Mr. Leffler's book provides less informa-tion about this pivotal Texas county, but will entertain a casual reader or abrowser in the lobby of a business office.